Suicide is a complex phenomenon with multiple diverse causes. It is obvious that if the media give rewards
to the suicides directly or indirectly, they will have more copycat effect. It seems that political means in the
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mainstream media, particularly in the Western world overshadow public health- especially mental health- issues.
Selection of a Tunisian fruit vendor who set himself on fire in a public square as the person of the year by Time
Magazine is a good example in this domain. Mass clusters of copycat altruistic self-burning promotion in the
Middle East and North Africa obviously demonstrate the importance of the dilemma and its relevance in terms of
public health, and the need to develop efficacious interruptive strategies able to prevent people from committing
a dramatic fatal act.